


The Wrong End of the Stick

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, F/M, Rare Pair, Romance, Wally gets confused, case of mistaken identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 14:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7687819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On his first morning in the West house, Wally learns all is not as it sometimes appears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wrong End of the Stick

**Author's Note:**

> Theme: rare pairs  
> Prompt: author's choice, author's choice, "You're dating?"  
> http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/741486.html?thread=98037358#t98037358

When he woke up, it took Wally a moment to realise where he was. Then he remembered and a smile spread across his face. Sure the room was a bit basic at the moment but he was living in a house with his father and his sister and Iris was already making noise about going out and getting some stuff to decorate the place for him. Not that Wally really cared about that stuff, money had been tight with his mom so he was used to not having a lot. Having his family around was more than enough for him. 

It turned out he might be an earlier riser than the rest of the family because he was first into the bathroom and he took the quickest shower he'd ever taken in his life - he didn't want to hog all the hot water on his first morning. After that, he pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, his standard college attire, and went downstairs, hoping someone else was up. Joe had told him to make himself at home but he still felt a bit like he was taking liberties if he helped himself. 

Walking down the stairs, he heard two voices, one male, one female. The male voice unquestionably belonged to Barry but the female one made him frown, because it wasn't Iris. "You look exhausted," Barry was saying and there was a rueful chuckle in answer. 

"I was up til four... and some of us don't do so well on so little sleep." 

"You should go back to bed." Barry sounded worried and when Wally reached the point where he could see him, he looked it too, brow all furrowed as he looked down at the brunette pouring herself a huge cup of coffee. 

"Science waits for no man... or woman." She smiled as she turned to Barry and Wally realised that he'd seen her before, at Joe's Christmas gathering that he'd basically gatecrashed. "But I just might." 

"Good." Barry slung an arm around her shoulders, pulled her into a hug and Wally blinked at the sight. As far as he remembered from Christmas, Barry had been all cosy with a different brunette, matching jumpers and everything. Which was cool, he told himself, he wasn't going to judge - Barry wouldn't be the first guy to break up with someone and find that the right woman had been there all along. Barry let go of the other woman - Caitlin, Wally finally remembered - and turned towards the doorway, a smile coming to his face when he saw Wally standing there. "Hey, man," he said. "How was your first night?" 

"It was good." Wally put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and shrugged. "I was up late studying so..."

"I didn't wake you when I came in, did I?" Caitlin looked comically worried and Barry snickered. 

"You fall up the stairs one time..." he muttered and she slapped at his shoulder none too gently. 

"Who left his sneakers there for me to trip over?" she demanded, giving Barry a withering glare. "And that, Wally, is why I take off my heels before I go upstairs now." 

Sensing that he was getting in the middle of something he really didn't want to get in the middle of, Wally raised his hands. "Nah, didn't hear a thing." 

Barry snickered again. "Good answer." Which got him another glare from his girlfriend and he gulped as he raised his coffee to his lips. "I should go shower." 

"Why don't you do that?" Caitlin might have been smiling but Wally, and Barry, heard the steel underneath it. "Oh, and Joe was talking about having a family dinner tonight, welcome Wally properly... if you don't have any plans?" That was directed at Wally but it was Barry who answered.

"Definitely say yes," he said. "Joe's an awesome cook. And Caitlin's really good at heating stuff up."  Caitlin took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Barry began to beat a hasty retreat and Wally looked down at the tiles, sure that some sort of PDA was going to be forthcoming as a kind of apology for all that teasing.

Except Barry just waltzed out of the room, leaving Caitlin pouring out a second cup of coffee. 

Well. 

Wally never pretended to understand women and relationships but he'd heard every one was different. This must be the proof. 

"Cream and sugar?" It took him a second to realise that Caitlin was talking to him, was sliding a steaming cup towards him. 

"No, thank you. Black's fine." 

A smile crossed her face. "Like your dad." He must have looked surprised because she added, "Any other time, cream, two sugars. First thing in the morning, he takes it black... the stronger the better." 

Wally sipped the coffee, coughing as it hit the back of his throat - it was the next best thing to rocket fuel he'd ever tasted and he reckoned the likelihood of Caitlin getting any sleep after a mug of this was extremely remote. He tried to cover his reaction but Caitlin saw right through him. "There's water in the refrigerator..."

"Thanks... I'll be ok." The second sip went down smoother. "So, how long-"

His question was interrupted when Joe came into the kitchen, jacket half off one shoulder, doing up his tie as he walked. "Hey," he said, eyes brightening when he saw Wally. "You sleep ok?" 

Wally nodded. "Great." 

Joe didn't stop moving, the coffee machine in his sights. "Because I was worried the mattress might be lumpy." Wally started to tell him that it was fine but Joe only had eyes for Caitlin, who already had a new cup in hand, holding it out to Joe. "You are an angel," he declared, grinning as he approached her and, ok, Wally still wasn't judging, maybe that was how Joe always spoke to his foster son's girlfriend. 

Except that Caitlin was smiling up at Joe in a way that could only be described as flirty. "I aim to please," she said and Joe's chuckle was low and throaty. 

"Oh you do," he said, so quietly that Wally didn't think he was supposed to hear it, but he did. As Joe accepted the coffee, he leaned down, brushed his lips over Caitlin and, as Wally's jaw dropped, he kissed her a second time. 

"Wait a second." The words were out before he could stop them. " _You're_ dating? As in, each other?" 

Joe and Caitlin stared at him, identical expressions of confusion on their faces. Caitlin was the one who moved first, staring up at Joe, her face saying plain as day saying, "This one's all yours." 

Joe tilted his head. "You didn't know?" 

Wally shook his head. "I thought you were Barry's girlfriend," he said and Caitlin's cheeks flushed crimson. 

"No." Joe was still doing all the talking, put his arm around Caitlin's shoulder -  just like Barry had done, so Wally didn't feel like he could be blamed for getting the wrong end of the stick - and squeezed gently, just for a moment. "Caitlin was one of Barry's doctors when he was in the coma... She and I started seeing each other not long after he woke up." He pressed his lips together. "Wally, I swear, I thought you knew... we don't make a big deal out of it, but I honest to God thought I'd told you." 

"I thought so too." Caitlin's voice was apologetic as she looked at Wally but when her gaze flicked upwards to Joe, there was a hint of flint there that Wally didn't miss. 

Neither did Joe if his audible gulp was anything to go by. "Look," he said, stepping away from Caitlin, "I know it's a lot to take in..."

"Hey it's fine," said Wally, holding up his hands, one still with the cup of coffee in it. "I'm not judging... besides, if you're both happy and Caitlin makes a good cup of coffee, it's all good with me." 

Caitlin grinned and Joe's breath left him in a whoosh of relief. "I can drink to that," he said and, as three cups clinked together, that's just what they did. 


End file.
